It’s currently the middle of summer, and most Toronto Maple Leafs fans are probably enjoying some time at the cottage with their family and friends.
There’s nothing wrong with that by any means, but the hockey season is just around the corner, and some Toronto Maple Leafs hockey will be played sooner than later.
Also just around the corner is fantasy hockey draft season, which is one of the most exciting times of the year for hockey fans.
The Toronto Maple Leafs boast two players that will likely be taken in the top 10 of most fantasy drafts, those two of course being Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews. But there are also some great Leafs players who many may overlook in the late rounds, so let’s talk about them.
Toronto Maple Leafs: 3 Players To Target Late in Fantasy Drafts
1. Joseph Woll
Woll is an interesting case, as there’s no guarantee he gets a lot of starts next year now that Ilya Samsonov has been re-signed.
But he did outplay Samsonov last year(in limited starts, to be fair), especially during the playoffs. If Samsonov goes down with an injury, expect Woll to pick up a bunch of starts, and I can almost guarantee he’ll perform well.
Late in the season last year, I even picked up Woll for a few games, it’s safe to say he didn’t disappoint.
2. Max Domi
I have a strong feeling Domi is going to perform well this year. This Toronto Maple Leafs team will be one of the best, if not the best team Domi has ever played for. There is also a chance he gets into the top-6, playing with one of either Auston Matthews or John Tavares as his centreman.
Looking at Domi’s career so far, however, his best seasons have seemed to come when he played on weaker teams and he was given an opportunity to lead the offense himself.
In 2018-19 with Montreal and this past season with Chicago, he put up a 0.87 and 0.81 points-per-game, respectively, which were both the best of his career by a wide margin.
Another interesting thing to look at is Domi’s previous linemates, as he has never played with someone as offensively gifted as Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner. Will this improve Domi’s production, or is he better playing on a weaker team?
I think he’ll do just fine. The worst-case scenario is if he flops, you can always drop him for another player.
3. John Klingberg
Another player added this offseason by the Toronto Maple Leafs who is looking for a bounce-back year, I think Klingberg could surprise a lot of people. He’s still only 30, which isn’t old by any means, and still put up a strong 47 points in 74 games as recently as 2021-22, which wasn’t that long ago (all stats: nhl.com)
If Klingberg can get ice time on the top power-play unit (which has been quarterbacked by Morgan Rielly for the last 7 years or so) there’s a solid chance he gets 45+ points.
Most people are well aware Klingberg isn’t great defensively, but that doesn’t matter in fantasy hockey. And with there only being so many offensively gifted d-men in the NHL, taking Klingberg late in your draft is not a bad idea at all.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have a ton of talent on their team and therefore a ton of players who would be good additions to your fantasy teams.
I for one can’t wait for fantasy hockey to come back, and many Leafs players will be taken near the top.